I’m worried. I just can’t seem to get passionate any more. Well, not about next Saturday’s council poll, anyway.

All I’m hoping for after all the campaigning is a good mix of experience and fresh ideas to take this great region of ours into the second decade of the century; a team whose members will adequately consult and strongly represent us, and who will deserve our ticks of approval in four years time.

The word is that the new regional council’s headquarters will be at Nambour, at least for the foreseeable future. There’s a pleasant irony in the fact that this will make it once again the capital of the region, at least in the administrative sense.

After years of agitation to move the Maroochy HQ to the coast, the former sugar town will get the last laugh, and hopefully a few fringe benefits that will help it recover from the huge hit it took with the loss of its major industry.

Back to the future in Tassie

Last week’s observation about Launceston dragging its feet in tourist promotion prompted AAT reader Geoff Littler to send me the following comments in a letter written by his father from that city.

“… they are just fumbling along with the same little ideas for Brisbane St and George St. They want to be ready for tourists (but) that will only be from the railway station to Trevallyn train station. However, it is a beginning.”

An obvious push for the big picture. Sound familiar? That letter was written in 1910.

Thanks, you made my morning

Just back from my walk on a beautiful autumn morning, I’m still on a high. No, not from the fresh, cool air, but from warm smiles and cheerful greetings from a group waiting at a bus stop on the way to work.

I see them often, and I always wish that more of us could be so overtly friendly, cheerful and trusting. I thank them for making my day, and I hope they have a good one too, at their Endeavour workplace.

The rise and fall of the English language

Ah, autumn! Enjoy it, because if our language follows current trends, Aussies will soon be calling it "fall".

The American colonisation of our language continues apace. Bums are now butts, lollies are candies, footpaths are sidewalks, nappies are diapers and chips are fries. The list goes on and on.

Speaking of which, did you see amid all the news trivia a story about the latest in DIY fast food? Cheeseburger in a can. I kid you not. As the heading on the story asked: “Would you like fries with that ?” No thanks, and you can hold the cheeseburger.

And another thing …

With the footy season up and running, the sport columns will be filled with team names that range right across the animal kingdom, from the king of beasts to soaring raptors and slithery reptiles.

I was going to write “from A to Z” but I haven’t yet seen any Aardvarks or Zebras doing their pre-season stuff. Or Monkeys.

rich.29@bigpond.net.au